Inside Michigan Recruiting: 10/19
Michigan Newsletter
Notes
(Photo: Isaiah Hole, 247Sports)
Falcon: After about a month of positioning and quiet time, the news on Southfield (MI) 2016 running back
Matthew Falcon has gone public. Michigan and
Jim Harbaugh have offered Falcon a medical scholarship so that he can attend the university for free, but he will not be a scholarship member of the football team, and will not be cleared by Michigan's medical staff.
The information we've been given on Falcon's situation isn't 100% consistent with what was put out publicly, but only from an omission standpoint. The one thing not mentioned publicly that makes a difference here is that Falcon is scheduled to have another surgery on the same knee in December to follow up on the surgery he had after being injured in September. We're told that Michigan's approach to the situation was to create a safety net for Falcon in case other programs do not clear him medically to play, which is the case with the Michigan doctors.
Wisconsin, Central Michigan and a couple of other programs have expressed some interest in Falcon as far as playing football in college, but it's unclear how the situation will end up at this point. If Falcon follows through and attends Michigan, it's a near certainty to assume that he wasn't cleared by another program's doctor staff.
It's a unique situation, as I can't recall a time where a medical scholarship has been offered before a player has signed with a certain school. Because National Signing Day is still four months away, Falcon has ample time to evaluate and potentially pursue other options. We have removed Falcon from the 2016 commitments list at this juncture.
In-state 2017s: Michigan hosted a wealth of their in-state 2017 targets for Saturday's game. A lot of the kids have been to Michigan more than five times now, so yet another reaction isn't in order. However, in talking to someone who was on the sidelines, this may be another situation where the heartbreaking ending actually helped Michigan with some of the group.
"Most of them looked devastated themselves on the sidelines after the game," they said. "They almost reacted as if they were on the team themselves. Michigan has done a good job of not only getting their in-state targets on campus, but in making them feel like they already matter to the program."
We have the Wolverines as looking good for
Corey Malone-Hatcher,
Josh Ross,
Allen Stritzinger,
JaRaymond Hall and
Jaylen Kelly-Powell especially. The Wolverines are absolutely contenders for
Ambry Thomas,
Donovan Peoples-Jones and KJ Hamler as well.
Jackson: It's not a major surprise on our end that Top100 ATH
Lamar Jackson publicly named Michigan his leader to Wolverine247 on Sunday night. The four-star has been one of the more heavily targeted players on the Wolverines' board in 2016, and is a player they could see playing a variety of positions in Ann Arbor. He probably hasn't been covered heavily enough on our end at this point in the process, but the Wolverines have ALWAYS been a player for his services.
We're not sure how much of a factor USC is for Jackson at this point, despite his ability and the proximity from his Franklin (CA) school to Los Angeles. UCLA is a potential factor going forward also, but we also feel good about Michigan's chances compared to Arizona State, Utah and Arizona, the three other programs he has taken official visits too. His fifth official visit remains in the air, and we don't believe it's going to be Oklahoma, as was originally scheduled.
As far as a Crystal Ball prediction, I'm going to let it ride out for a bit to see where the fifth official is and to find out how much of a factor the in-state schools really are. Michigan currently feels good about where they stand.
Bits
- 2017 Top100 cornerback
Lamont Wade will visit Ann Arbor next month, but doesn't have a date scheduled. The Wolverines can definitely become a player in this race. Wade, along with
Jamyest Williams out of Georgia, remind me of a Tyrann Mathieu-type player that makes big plays in big situations, despite not being the biggest player on the field. Both will be excellent college players.
- We're feeling stronger on Michigan's position with 2017 Top50 quarterback
Dylan McCaffrey, but not quite enough to put in a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction. McCaffrey spent a lot of time with 2016 quarterback commitment
Brandon Peters and he's a clear #1 target for the staff at the position, with
Davis Mills next in line after that.
- The original thought is that Michigan would have a great shot at 2017 Top150 wide receiver
Tylan Wallace, but after talking to him personally and one other source around his recruitment, he's someone who is very, very likely to stay closer to home. Michigan may be able to get into the race if they offer his brother Tracin, another 2017 prospect who is sitting out this season due to injury.
More clarification on Matt Falcon another surgery needed
Michigan is doing the right thing
Michigan for at least offering a academic scholarship terrible for the kid tho
smh that NBC headline
Allen Trieu @AllenTrieu 
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